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What family physicians need in their doctor's bag
S Nakar1, S Vinker, M A Weingarten
1Department of Family Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Israel.
Family Practice
|December 1, 1995
Summary
Family physicians need essential equipment like a stethoscope, sphygmomanometer, and prescription pad for house calls. Other supplies should be in prepared kits for specific patient needs during home visits.
Area of Science:
- Family Medicine
- Primary Care
- Medical Practice Management
Background:
- House calls remain a vital component of primary care delivery.
- Optimizing the contents of a physician's bag is crucial for efficient and effective patient care during home visits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify essential equipment and supplies for family physicians conducting urgent and non-urgent house calls.
- To inform best practices for equipping physicians for home-based patient care.
Main Methods:
- Prospective survey design involving thirteen family physicians from two urban practices.
- Structured report forms completed after 111 consecutive house calls to document required equipment.
- Analysis of the frequency of need for diagnostic equipment, therapeutic agents, and administrative supplies.
Main Results:
- Stethoscope, sphygmomanometer, patient's medical chart, and prescription pad were required in over 70% of house calls.
- All other items were needed in less than 30% of observed home visits.
- Identified core items for consistent carrying by physicians during house calls.
Conclusions:
- A minimal set of essential equipment (stethoscope, sphygmomanometer, prescription pad, medical chart) should always accompany family physicians on house calls.
- Additional medical supplies and diagnostic tools should be organized into kits for on-demand use based on patient-specific needs.
- Recommendations for optimizing the doctor's bag contents to enhance efficiency and preparedness for home-based medical services.